In 2012, families in California filed a lawsuit alleging that five state statutes governing teacher tenure, dismissal, and seniority together violate the state constitution's requirements for equal protection. Central to the case were competing narratives about the relationship between these statutes, the work of teachers, and the achievement of…

Teachers affect a wide range of students' educational and social outcomes, but how they contribute to students' involvement in school discipline is less understood. We estimate the impact of teacher demographics and other observed qualifications on students' likelihood of receiving a disciplinary referral. Using data that track all disciplinary…

The California Supreme Court rule on June 30th that local bond issues requiring two-thirds voter approval for passage violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (Westbrook v. Mihaly). (MF)

On 26 September 2001, the Chino Valley School District, which is approximately 30 miles east of Los Angeles, signed a negotiated agreement with the duly authorized union representing the certified employees, the Associated Chino Teachers (ACT). The agreement provided that every member of the represented unit would become either a member of the ACT…

Discusses the Serrano vs Priest decision that ruled against the use of property taxes for support of schools in California. (JF)

The United States Commission on Civil Rights held hearings in San Antonio, Texas from December 9 to 14, 1968 under the authority of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The purpose of the hearing was to collect information regarding the civil rights problems of Mexican Americans in the five Southwestern States. Of concern were the issues of education,…

This paper discusses the implications for State educational finance of the recent Serrano vs Priest decision and tries to clarify the exact meaning of the Serrano case. It notes that the use of property taxes for financing schools is not barred by the decision. Rather, the case expresses the principle of neutrality -- the level of spending for a…

The lesson of Serrano will be the lesson of social policy in general: government can allocate resources but it cannot specify results. Serrano and its predecessors were aimed at promoting better education for needy districts and are likely to equalize spending with no systematic effect on educational outcomes. (Author/IRT)

Presents the full text of the landmark case that found the method of financing public education in California in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. (JF)

In August 1971, the California State Supreme Court handed down the landmark decision of Serrano v. Priest,'' ruling that a state system of school finance which made district spending a function of district wealth was unconstitutional. (Author/JM)

In a test of affirmative-action policies, a white teacher, Sharon Taxman, filed reverse discrimination charges when her downsizing district terminated her and kept a black teacher of nearly identical qualifications. The case was settled out of court. If the U.S. Supreme Court had heard the case under either the Equal Protection or Title VII…